How do I create a Freshwater Farm Plan for my farm?

At a basic level, writing a farm plan is a 3 step process:

• Make sure you understand the context, challenges, and values in your specific FMU (provided by Council here )
• Identify the risks to water quality on your farm
• Set out what you will do to manage them and when you will do it

You can prepare your own farm plan and there are various places you can go for help:

• The West Coast Farm Plan Project is a fully funded project to assist farmers to understand and prepare their freshwater farm plan. Go to their website for more information, to register for workshops, or to request help to create your Individual plan.
• Keep an eye on your industry body’s website (Hort NZ, Dairy NZ) to see if they are providing support you can draw on.
• The Ministry for the Environment and Te Uru Kāhika (Regional and Unitary Councils Aotearoa) have provided guides for writing FWFPs.
• Over time, subscription-based farm planning platforms are likely to develop and make the process of writing a FWFP easier.
• You also may choose to engage a rural professional to support you to create your farm plan. Your industry groups will be able to provide you with contact details for rural professionals who can assist you to develop your plan.

For general enquiries and assistance, contact the West Coast Regional Council at freshwaterfarmplans@wcrc.govt.nz, or Lyn Carmichael at the West Coast Freshwater Farm Plan Project on 027 668 0013.